Listed below is the definition of the Pan-Pan as used by the USCG on VHF-FM marine radio. It is nice to see the opening on the Marine Forum on this site. I will checking this forum daily, since a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary. Hope this info helps you out.

Larry

Pan-Pan
Definition: The term used to signify an urgent communication; the second highest priority transmission.
Pronunciation: [pon-pon ] • (noun)

Listed below is the definition of the Pan-Pan as used by the USCG on VHF-FM marine radio. It is nice to see the opening on the Marine Forum on this site. I will checking this forum daily, since a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary. Hope this info helps you out.

Larry

Pan-Pan
Definition: The term used to signify an urgent communication; the second highest priority transmission.
Pronunciation: [pon-pon ] • (noun)

Yes Thank-you sir. I monitor channel #16 since our fire dept which iam a member of also responds to marine calls on the upper niagara river with the USGC

Now if I could only figure out why "bread bread" is so darn urgent. White flag HELL, raise the Jolly Roger and damn those torpedo shaped French loaves, FULL SPEED AHEAD!

By the rocket's red glare, helos up in the air, the Coast Guard's going nuts but my scanner's still there. It's the holiday weekend and madness on the waves, in the land of drunken sailors and the home of the... Darn, can somebody finish the verse? I can't think of a decent rhyme!

Hey guys this is my first post and I wanted to point out something about the call pan-pan. The correct pronunciation is ( /ˈpæn ˈpæn/) The æ is pronounced as in bad, ban, pan or bat. Here is a link to the International Phonetic Alphabet for English that gives the correct pronunciation for most English vowels.

The USCG has mispronounced the call for years. My late wife, who was a two star U.S. Navy admiral (Rear Admiral upper half) and a holder of a PhD is languages ( among others) and was fluent in 36 different languages was constantly correcting the USCG but they live in a world of their own.

When I received my Radiotelephone First Class license with ship RADAR endorsement in 1972 we were also taught to pronounce the call as pan-pan. In amateur radio the call is pan-pan also.

MAYDAY always repeated three times
PAN always repeated twice
Securite sent once

The correct usage of any of the three calls is to repeat the call three times. See below.

MAYDAY

"MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY"
THIS IS (Ship or Station x3 )
MAYDAY x3 (Ship or Station)
MY POSITION IS (lat and long OR grid ref AND/OR distance and true bearing from a known location)
Nature of Distress
Nature of Assistance required
Number of people
Any other relevant information
OVER
Listen for response.
Repeat if necessary.
If other stations interupt transmit "See-Lonce MAYDAY"

PAN-PAN

"PAN-PAN, PAN-PAN, PAN-PAN"
ALL-SHIPS (STATIONS) x3 OR (name of) Coastguard Station x3
THIS IS (craft name x3)
MY POSITION IS (lat and long OR grid ref AND/OR distance and true bearing from a known location)
Nature of Distress
Nature of Assistance required
Number of people
Any other relevant information
OVER
Listen for response.
Repeat if necessary.